My Role: Creative Director, Video Director (DoP), Edit & Post-Production
Services: Creative Direction, Video Production, Editing, Campaign Strategy
Platform: Online Campaign + Live Event (FREESTYLE CH Zürich)
Client: Swiss Youth Hostels (SJH)
Timeline: 14 weekends, May – Sept 2010
Youth campaign – through scene co-creation
Swiss Youth Hostels needed to reach snowboard and hip-hop communities. Through co-created dance contest, weekly learning videos, and scene partnerships (Real01, 21lifestyle, 7 Dollar Taxi), we built a movement. 450+ participants. 21K+ views not included earned community posts. Zero paid ads. Authenticity beats advertising budgets.
Core shift: From marketing to communities to co-creating with them – through shared ownership.
3 Min. Read
How we solved problems
Three challenges, three breakthroughs
Youth scenes don't buy hype. They create it.
The brief said «target youth culture.» Reality said «youth reject advertising.» I didn't hire influencers. I called scene leaders: Real01 (choreography), 21lifestyle (production), 7 Dollar Taxi (band). We co-created. No one got paid. Everyone showed up.
Result: 450+ dance contest participants, 21K+ video views, zero paid ads. Ownership beats sponsorship.
Weekly learning videos lowered barriers and built momentum.
Teaching the full routine at once felt intimidating. We released 4 weekly episodes (60-90 seconds each). Learn 15 seconds per week. Achievable. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger: «Next move drops Friday.» Built habit.
Created anticipation. Made participation feel possible. Snackable content beats overwhelming tutorials.
Content Strategy: 4 weekly episodes 60-90 seconds each 15-second moves per week Cliffhanger endings Released on Facebook
Shared budget meant shared ownership.
CHF 12K Budget: Permits + gear Food for 50+ people Post-event celebration Zero salaries Everyone volunteered
CHF 12K wasn't for hiring. It was for permits, gear, food, and celebrating together. No salaries. Scene leaders, dancers, band – all volunteers. 32 crew dancers + 23 enthusiasts spent a Saturday filming across 5 Zürich locations.
The budget wasn't a constraint. It was the party fund. Co-creation demands shared risk and shared reward.
Key Learnings
What this project taught me
Creators beat consumers every time
People don't want to be marketed to. They want to co-create. The pain: convincing Swiss Youth Hostels to give creative control to scene leaders, not agencies. What worked: framing it as «their stage, our support,» which earned authenticity no ad budget could buy.
Chaos is part of the process – build crews that adapt
Location canceled 1 week before shoot. Band availability shifted. Volunteers bailed last-minute. The pain: constant pivots while working full-time at Publicis Modem. What saved me: scene networks with backup dancers, flexible timelines, and crews that adapted together instead of breaking.
Trust is the only currency that matters with youth culture
Scene leaders said «this is real.» Their networks listened. No ad could buy that credibility. What helped: giving Real01 and 21lifestyle full creative control, respecting their vision, and supporting – not directing – the process.
Why this still matters
Authenticity can't be faked. It has to be co-created.
In 2010, this was called «viral marketing.» Today it's «influencer co-creation.» The tactics evolved. The principle stayed: youth culture doesn't respond to campaigns. It responds to movements. This dance contest proved that shared ownership (scene leaders leading, not following) beats paid placements. Always.